Friday and Saturday July 10-11…………… 13th annual Grassroots Blues Festivalin Duck Hill, located just south of Grenada. Friday night’s event willconclude with a performance by Danny Lancaster, and among the performerson Saturday are Canton’s Grady Champion and Cleveland’s J.R. Blu.
Aone-day pass is $15 advance/$20 gate; two-day passes are $20/$25; highschool students $5/younger children $1. To reach the festival grounds,take the Duck Hill I-55 exit and drive east four miles.
Musicbegins at 6 p.m on Friday with Big Joe Shelton from Columbus, purveyorof “Black Prairie blues,” followed by Jackson’s acoustic bluesman BenPayton, who recently returned to Mississippi after a stint in NorthCarolina. Closing the evening is Danny “the Duck Hill Thrill” Lancaster,a local guitar legend who has performed with many bands across theregion for decades.
Music begins on Saturday at 4 p.m.with Indianola bluesman and visual artist Bobby Whalen, Cliff “Superman”Sipp and Lewis Johnson, a Grenada city councilman, with his No NameBand. At 7 p.m. is Grady Champion with his harmonica-led mix of bluesand soul, followed by local bluesman Little Willie Farmer.
Closingthe evening is the young Southern soul artist J.R. Blu, whose newalbum,”Tru Blu,” is receiving heavy rotation on soul-blues radio,notably the singles “She’s Been Good” and “Dance.”
TheGrassroots Blues Festival is run by the local nonprofit ACER, which isdedicated to celebrating and providing education about traditionalblues. This year’s event is dedicated to B.B. King.
For more information visit www.grassrootsblues.com